Garment hanger



S. CARR GARMENT HANGER Nov. 8, 1955 Filed June 5, 1952 Inventor STANLYCARR By M/ W Attorney United States Patent *Ofiice GARMENT HANGER StanlyCarr, Chevy Chase, Md.

Application June 3, 1952, Serial No. 291,537

9 Claims. (Cl. 223--91) The present invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in garment hangers and more particularly to suchimprovements in a pants or skirt hanger and to such a hanger combinedwith a coat hanger.

The conventional combined coat and pants hanger generally includes a bartraversing the coat supporting arms and over which a pair of pants maybe hung in folded condition, although, of course, there are separatepants hangers employing a slidable link on two arms or employing sometype of pivoted bar member with a cam action to grip the cuffs of thepants by clamping members.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved garmenthanger wherein the attachment and release of hanging garments, such asskirts or pants, is greatly facilitated and rendered more positive inits action.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combined coat and pantshanger wherein the pants hanger actuator may be gripped and shiftedwithout removing a coat or the like from the transversely extendingcoat-supporting part of the hanger.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved combinedcoat and pants hanger of the above type wherein two pairs of pants maybe readily supported from the single hanger.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a combined coatand pants hanger of the above type wherein a central panel serves as abacking for the gripping members of the pants or skirt hangers.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a pants hangerhaving a one-piece clamping portion resiliently urged toward grippingposition.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a pants hanger ofthe above type including a central panel against which two pairs ofpants may be clamped, one on each side thereof, by means of a resilientclip carried by the handle with each side of the clip being separatelyoperable for attachment or release of a selected pair of pants.

The invention still further aims to provide a garment hanger which isrelatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture and which lends itselfin certain embodiments to its formation substantially completely orpartially from plastic material, and in other embodiments to the readyconversion of standard coat hangers into a combined coat and pantshanger.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of one form of a combined coat and pantshanger;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 2- 2 ofFigure 1;

Figure 3 is an end elevation showing a modified form of resilientclamping device for trousers; and

Figure 4 is a further modification showing a pants clamping devicesimilar to Figure 3 but combined with a wire coat hanger.

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawings, and particularlyto Figures 1, 2 and 3 at this time, the combined coat and pants hangeris illustrated as being formed with a depending central panel portionhaving Patented Nov. 8, 1955 laterally extending coat supportingportions 12, the eiid portions 14 of which are directed outwardly andcurved downwardly to provide more extensive transverse support than iscustomary in the ordinary wire hanger. The central portion of the panel10 is extended upwardly, as at 16, and is provided with an eyelet device18 adapted for the attachment of a hook 20 or the like by which theassembly may be hung from a closet bar or the like.

Strap portions 22, 22a are formed outwardly from each side of thecentral panel portion and are adapted to support pivot pins 24, 24a,respectively. Mounted on the pivot pin 24 is a depending clip orclamping member 26 having an upward and slightly outwardly flaredcentral portion 28 which serves as the finger grip for urging theclamping portion 26 outwardly to the dotted position of Figure 2 toapply or release a pair of pants from between the free edge 30 thereofand the adjacent surface of the central panel portion 10.

A spring 32 is coiled around the central portion of the pin 24, theclamping member being cut away to receive the same, and one end bearsagainst the adjacent surface of the central panel 10 while the other endbears against the adjacent surface of the finger grip portion 28 and thespring is positioned to normally urge the finger grip portion outwardlywith resultant inward clamping movement of the clip portion 26 and itsclamping end 30. On the opopsite side of the panel portion 10, asubstantially identical clip portion 26a, and associated parts, isprovided.

In Figure 3, there is shown a modification for pants alone wherein thepanel portion 19a is provided with a transverse opening 34 into which isfitted and secured in suitable manner a clip 3.6 having integraldepending and curved spring portions 37, 37a. This clip is formed ofspring metalor like. resilient material so that the clampingportions 37,37a are normally urged inwardly toward adjacent surfaces of the centralpanel portion 1.0g. Finger grips 38, 38a are provided on the springportions 37, 37a, respectively, and project upwardly and slightlyoutwardly from the adjacent surfaces of the top part 16 of the panel 10aso that either one may be selectively engaged in order toshift itsassociated clip portion in a direction outwardly from the adjacentsurface of the panel portion to permit insertion or removal of a pair ofpants or a skirt. As illustrated, each finger grip portion extendsthrougha corresponding slot 40, 49a in the spring por ans and a a lowerp r 1a of a sufiicient width to elamp a pair of pants and connected o epring Po ascat -42 2athc fi e grip portions fulcrum against a side edgeof one of the slots 40, 40a in urging the lower portion of a 'springmember outwardly against the spring action of the clip member 36.Instead, the spring portions 37, 37a may directly engage the garment, ifso desired.

In Figure 4, there is shown a more or less conventional wire coathanger, generally designated by the numeral 45, which has been convertedto a combined coat and pants hanger of the type contemplated by thepresent invention. An almost completely circular spring clip 46',similar to the clip 36 shown in Figure 3, is welded or otherwisesuitably secured to the wire portion of the hanger beneath the hook.Between the free clamping edges of the spring clip 46 there is inserteda panel portion 47 which may be welded to the inner surface of thecentral portion of the spring clip so that the entire pants or skirthanging attachment is supported as a unit from the coat hanger. In thisform of the invention, one side of the spring clip 46 is provided withan upwardly projecting finger grip portion 48 disposed at one side ofthe hanger wire and also at one side of the shank of the hook. Anotherfinger grip portion 49 is disposed on the opposite side of the hangerwire and also at the opposite side of the hook shank. Thus, the fingergrip portions are staggered with respect to the hook shank and each maybe separately operated. One finger may engage the hook shank and theother the selected finger grip portion for selectively releasing eitherside of the clip from engagement with the panel portion 47 or a garmentsupported therebetween.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the presentinvention provides, particularly in Figures 1 and 2, a combined coat andpants hanger which may be substantially completely formed from plasticmaterial. On the other hand, the form of pants hanger shown in Figure 3may have the central panel thereof formed of plastic material andsupporting the spring clamping garment hanger. Figure 4 illustrates themanner in which the present invention may be utilized in converting aconventional coat hanger to the combined arrangement contemplated by thepresent invention.

It is to be understood that the various embodiments may be combined inwhole or in part with one another and it is to be further understoodthat while certain forms of the invention have been shown for purposesof illustration, the invention is not to be limited thereby but is to bemeasured by the spirit and scope of the appended claims,

I claim:

1. A garment hanger comprising a panel portion and associated hook meansfor suspending the same from a support, garment clamping means includingan arcuate spring clip traversing the vertical supporting axis of thehook means and having the central portion passing through and secured tosaid panel portion with the free extremities normally urged towardadjacent opposite faces of said panel portion, and finger grip meansadjacent said hook means and connected to said clip for selectivelyshifting the free extremities thereof away from adjacent faces of thepanel portion to facilitate attachment or removal of garments.

2. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spring clip issubstantially a complete circle having garment clamping free edgesadjacent opposite faces of said panel portion.

3. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 1, wherein the free extremitiesof the spring clip abut garment clamping members for securing a garmentagainst the adjacent face of said panel portion and wherein said garmentclamping members include divergent upward extensions forming the fingergrip means.

4. A garment hanger comprising a panel portion and associated hook meansfor suspending the same from a support, garment clamping means includingan arcuate spring clip longitudinally continuous between its ends whichare substantially equidistant on opposite sides of hook means and saidclip being centrally secured to said panel portion with the freeextremities normally urged toward adjacent opposite faces of said panelportion for clamping garments thereagainst, and finger grip meansadjacent said hook means and associated with said clip for selectivelyshifting the free extremities thereof away from adjacent faces of thepanel portion to facilitate attachment or removal of garments.

5. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 4, wherein the finger grip meansincludes upward projections disposed in fore and aft spaced relation onopposite sides of and close to the hook means which serves as a fingergrip for selective actuation of either projection.

6. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 4, and in combination with awire coat hanger, wherein the spring clip is secured to the hanger wirein the region of the hook means with the panel portion depending betweenthe arcuate portions of the spring clip.

7. In combination with a coat hanger having oppositely projecting coatsupporting arms and a central suspension hook, the provision of a pantshanger including a substantially circular spring clip having freeextremities normally urged toward each other, means securing the centralportion of said clip to the coat hanger in the immediate vicinity ofsaid suspension hook, and finger grip means adjacent said suspensionhook and diverging upwardly from the spring clip for separating the freeextremities thereof to facilitate attachment and removal of a pair ofpants or the like.

8. The combination of claim 7, wherein a panel portion is disposedbetween the free extremities of the spring clip to permit the clampingof two pairs of pants or the like, one pair on each side of the panelportion.

9. The combination of claim 8, wherein the finger grip means includesupward projections spaced longitudinally of the spring clip and adjacentopposite sides of the hook means which serves as a finger purchaseportion to facilitate the selective gripping of either projectionwhereby to facilitate selective shifting of either free extremity of thespring clip away from the adjacent face of the intermediate panelportion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,338,702 Cavanagh Jan. 11, 1944 2,408,145 Johnson Sept. 24, 19462,421,307 Albrecht May 27, 1947 2,477,271 Stevens July 26, 19492,479,356 Hennes Aug. 16, 1949 2,496,531 Gray Feb. 7, 1950 2,522,013Anderson Sept. 12, 1950

